Power inker for price markers



Jan. 23, 1968 M. E. BOEKELOO ET AL 3,364,355

POWER INKER FOR PRICE MARKERS Filed Aug. 5, 1966 United States Patent Oiice Patented Jan. 23, 1968 3,364,855 PGWER INTKER FOR PRICE MARKERS Merrill E. Boekeloo and Forest V. Hoffman, San Gabriel, Calif., assignors to Kwikmrk, Incorporated, El Monte, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Aug. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 570,455 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-327) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE Ink supply means for price marking stamps and the like, including an ink supply roller with a mount therefor, the mount being detachably supported on the frame of the marking device wherein an abutment device is carried by the frame and the ink supply roller mount with its roller when attached to the frame, abuts the abutment device to properly position the ink supply roller relative to a movable inker roller which swings between the printing elements of the marking head and the ink supply roller. The abutment device is also adjustable relative to the supporting frame to more precisely provide for the positioning of the ink supply roller.

This invention relates to a marking device such as used for marking prices on cans or other packages, and more particularly to a marking device having a marking head and an inker wherein improved means is provided for supplying ink to the inker.

In our prior Patent No. 3,174,426 issued Mar. 23, 1965 to Merrill E. Boekeloo et al., there was disclosed a marking device with an oscillating inker roll adapted to pick up ink from a stationary ink pad and transfer it to the type faces on the marking head. Repeated actuation of the inker roll resulted in contact of the inker roll with the same portion of the inking pad with each printing stroke of the marking head. That portion of the inking pad which was repeatedly contacted by the inker had to be resupplied with ink because ink was constantly being removed from that particular portion, although other parts of the inking pad still might have a quantity of ink upon it.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a marking device such as mentioned above with an ink supply roller an-d means for rotating it so that successive oscillations of the inker from the marking head to the ink supply roller will bring the inker into contact with a dilierent surface portion of the inking roller, thereby permitting the marking device to be used many more times before reinking of the ink supply roller is required.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ink supply device for a marking machine of the type mentioned above wherein reinking thereof can be accomplished in a quick and e'icient manner and wherein the ink supply roller, although removed from the marking machine for reinking, can be remounted on the marking machine in precisely the same position for contact by the inking device of the marker.

The above and other objects will more fully appear from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the lower portion of a marking device or machine such as generally disclosed in our above identified issued patent;

FIG. 2 is a section taken approximately on the line 2 2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 5 which illustrates the means utilized for reinking the ink supply roller;

FIG. 5 is a section taken approximately on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

A detailed description of the general operation of the marker is not given here because it is set forth in the above issued patent. However, there is a frame or housing generally indicated at 6. Mounted for vertical movement relative thereto is a marking head 8 upon which are rubber belts 10 carrying suitable printing elements 12, such as numerals and/or letters. In the particular disclosure the marking head 8 is vertically reciprocated by a suitable solenoid device generally indicated at 14.

An inker roller 16 is mounted on a shaft 1S between a pair of lever arms 20 pivotally mounted at 22 to convenient portions of the frame 6. The marking head 8 is secured to a transverse member 24 which extends between a pair of vertically movable plates 26 vertically reciprocated by the solenoid unit 14. The plates 26 are provided with studs 28 which ride in vertical slots 3i] in stationary frame plates 32. Said studs 28 also ride in reversely curved slots 34 formed in the lever arms 20 which support the inker roller shaft 18. As the printer head 8 is vertically reciprocated, the inker roller 16 will move from the full line to the broken line positions of FIG. 2. When the roller 16 moves to the left, it will wipe the downwardly disposed marking indicia elements 12, and when it swings to the right to the broken line position of FIG. 2, said roller will engage an ink supply roller 36.

The ink supply roller 36 is mounted on a shaft 38 which is rotatably supporte-d by the ends 40 of a roller mount 42. Said roller mount has a rear wall 44 carrying a threaded stud 46 which extends through a slot 48 in the rear wall 50 of the main marker frame 6, and said Stud 46 and ink supply roller mount 42 are held in position by a wing nut 52 on said stud.

As viewed in FIG. 3, the right end of the shaft 38 of the roller 36 is connected to a rotary hub 54 connected to and driven by a suitable gear reduction motor indicated generally at 56. In FIG. 3 the right stationary frame wall 32 is provi-ded with an upwardly extending slot 58 by means of which the motor hub 54 can be dropped downwardly out of the stationary main frame along with the ink supply roller 36.

Mounted on the inside of the rear main frame plate 50 is a bracket 60 supported by threaded bolts 62 lying in slots 64 in said bracket 69. The bracket 60 has a forwardly extending horizontal portion 66 whose underside is engaged by the ink supply roller mount 42 when the latter is mounted in the main frame to provide for precise positioning of the roller mount 42 and ink supply roller 36 relative to the oscillating inking roller 16.

The ink supply roller 36 and its mount 42 are removable from the marker device generally for replenishment of the ink on said supply roller 36, and when so removed, means is supplied for quickly and eiciently replenishing the ink on roller 36. This is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In those figures, there is shown a container 68 which comprises a reservoir for ink indicated at '70. The reservoir has an inwardly and upwardly slanting wall 72 with a slot 74 therein to receive the stud 46 by means of which the ink supply roller mount 42 is otherwise secured to the frame of the .marking device, said stud of course being secured by the wing nut 52. The ink supply roller mount 42 supports the ink supply roller 36 in the container 68 as indicated in FIG. 4, with lower portions of said roller 36 submerged in the ink pool 70. Rotation of the roller 36 in said ink pool will submerge successive portions of the roller in the ink, and said roller 36 being preferably of an absorbent material, a considerable quantity of ink will be captured by the roller.

The roller mount 42 and ink supply roller 36 can then be remounted on the marking device as shown in FIG. 2.

3 In remounting them, the roller mount 42 is engaged with the horizontal portion 66 of the bracket 60 to exactly reposition the ink supply roller 36 so that it will be properly contacted by the inker roller 16.

When the marker is operated, the ink supply roller 36 is being continuously rotated so that each time the marker head 8 is reciprocated through a downward and upward cycle, the inker roller 16 will move into and out of engagement with the ink supply roller 36 and each time will contact a different surface portion of said ink supply roller 36. When the inker roller 16 contacts the marking or printing elements 12, said inker roller will partially rotate so that it in turn will present different portions of its cylindrical surface to the printing elements 12 with each cycle of oscillation thereof.

From the foregoing it will of course be understood that various changes can be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a marking device, a marking head having printing elements thereon, an inker supported for movement adjacent said marking head in a path into and out of contact with said printing elements, wherein the improvement comprises: a relatively fixed support having a slot therein, an ink supply roller, a roller mount rotatably carrying said ink supply roller, said mount having securing means carried thereby and extending through and longitudinally positionable along a path defined by said slot, said securing means including means for releasably securing the roller mount to said support, an abutment device carried by said support in alignment with said slot adjacent one end thereof, and said roller mount being securable in said slot in engagement with said abutment device to accurately position the ink supply roller in position for movement of said inker into Contact therewith.

2. The structure in claim 1, and said abutment device being adjntably mounted on said support for adjustable positioning along the line of said slot.

References Cited UNTED STATES PATENTS 486,080 11/1892 Buff 101-327 1,724,074 8/1929 DuBelle 10 1 327. 3,092,021 6/ 1963 Gruver lOl-367 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

F. A. WINANS, Assistant Examiner. 

